After a summer of sun, sweat, and sunscreen, I like to wrap up the season by recommitting to my skin routine. In addition to the potions and lotions I use on a daily basis at home (more on that below), my skin reset includes a Clear + Brilliant treatment at Project Skin.
While I love most facials for the relaxation and restorative aspects, the Clear + Brilliant treatment is definitely one of my favourites. Mainly because it feels like it’s actually doing something.
The skin resurfacing treatment is designed to help reduce some of the signs of aging and sun damage, reduce pore size, improve texture, and help give skin a radiant glow. Yes please. It’s considered a “beginner” laser for those who have a lower pain tolerance. That would definitely be me.
Here’s how it works: The laser creates microscopic lesions in parts of the skin. The healthy skin then helps the tiny lesions heal, revealing fresher, smoother skin.
The treatment begins with gentle cleansing to remove all makeup and creams. The aesthetician (I see Amanda, whom I highly recommend) then takes the laser and starts running it over my face, focusing on one quadrant at a time.
It feels like someone is dragging a pin or needle over your skin. Would I say it’s completely pain free? No. Some parts of the face (the upper lip area!) hurt more than others. But it’s definitely survivable.
(If you have an extremely low pain tolerance they can apply numbing cream before the procedure. I did try that when I had the Microneedling. But some experts feel that it can lessen the effects of the laser, so I decided to go without.)
The process makes your skin feel quite hot, so they give you a cooling wand to blow lovely cold air on your skin during the entire procedure.
Once the treatment is done, Amanda puts a cooling mask over my face for about 10 minutes. She follows up with Skinceuticals Vitamin CE Ferulic, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. The whole thing takes about 60 minutes.
Immediately after the procedure, and for the next hour or two, my skin feels a bit hot and sensitive. It also looks a little bit red, almost like a slight sunburn. But within the next few hours, it cools down and starts to look and feel normal. You could definitely go out after the treatment, if need be.
The next morning, I was a touch puffy around the cheek area. But by day two, that disappeared. A few days later my skin feels (though doesn’t look) a bit like sandpaper. A week later, that sloughs off and my skin looks brighter and feels smoother and softer.
The benefits of a laser like this are definitely cumulative. They recommend going 4-6 times over the course of as many months to see the true effects.
A few additional notes. Don’t get a Clear + Brilliant treatment (or any kind of laser treatment) if you’re tanned. Hence why I’m waiting for late September to return to this facial regiment.
I also recommend using Skinceuticals products or other gentle, nourishing creams after the treatment. I used the Vitamin CE Ferulic serum religiously every morning, and have been for years. I follow that up with the Skinceuticals Triple Lipid Restore moisturizer, great for aging skin, and it feels super hydrating. And I top things off with the Skinceuticals 50 SPF mineral sunscreen. It’s lightly tinted so I find that I don’t need to use a foundation over top.
To see the treatment in action, check out the video below. And if you’d like to try a Clear + Brilliant treatment at Project Skin, mention my name for $50 off.
*Treatments and Skinceutical products gifted. Opinions are my own.
Kristina’s Corner
Welcome to Kristina’s Corner – I’m Kristina Matisic and I’ve spent much of my career reviewing and testing products and services. From TV shows (The Shoppings Bags) to articles, to a book, and now online, I love finding and reporting on the best pieces and products for me and my followers.
Here I’ll be sharing product reviews, style and beauty finds, and household tips and tricks to make your life easier, more stylish and a little bit sweeter!
You can find me on Instagram @kristinamatisic and at www.kristinamatisic.com. And if you have a question that you think I could help with, be sure to reach out!
